As Cherry Smyth, poet and art critic writes in the foreword in the book

“ This is a skilful, resonant documentation of a woman’s determination to humanise and feminise the dehumanising and defeminising experience of having a hysterectomy. It is a stunning, affecting, unforgettable piece of work that deserves to be seen widely not just by girls and women, but by men who care for them and also came from that intimate source.”

In Whitefield’s brave and bold series, she follows in the venerable and vulnerable footsteps of artists like Jo Spence, Helen Chadwick and Hannah Wilke, who chartered their bodies’ visceral experiences through photographs. Using the form of a visual diary, she leads us (and herself) through the tentative steps of the admission to hospital, the pre-op prep and the results.

She photographs and uses angles that reflect an Alice in Wonderland type of adventure, reinforcing feelings of detachment and otherworldliness contrasted with the stark sterility and brutality of the clinical imagery and surroundings.

Linking hysteria, Hippocrates, poetry and the art of photography, she explores the ordinary and extraordinary worlds of this emotional, mental and physical body experience resulting in a rich photographic exhibition and poetic book that blends fairytale with reality in an original and powerful way.

Information about the Artists
Sonya Whitefield ( b.Moy 1964 ) is a photographer/artist based in Co.Tyrone Northern Ireland. She studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. She is currently working for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

This exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated book which will be on sale for the duration of the exhibition.
Hysterectic, the book, will be launched on the 4th March 2010.

Information about the Golden Thread Gallery
The Golden Thread Gallery is Northern Ireland’s leading international contemporary art space, rooted in the local. The gallery offers residents and visitors to Belfast a diverse programme of high quality contemporary art exhibitions and participatory events. As one of Northern Irelands largest visual arts venues the Golden Thread Gallery acts as a platform for a mix of the very best international and local artists, hosting six large-scale exhibitions in the main gallery spaces and twelve exhibitions in its project space. The project space openings are not to be missed and always take place at 6.00pm on the first Thursday of the month as part of Belfast’s Late Night Art.

Outreach is at the core of the gallery’s activities, working off-site and in partnership with a wide range of communities and groups, devising challenging and innovative projects in addition to providing a range of contextual activities such as artists’ talks, gallery tours and workshops. The gallery also publishes exhibition catalogues and books exploring further contemporary practices.

Over the last ten years the Golden Thread Gallery has established an excellent reputation for creating exhibitions exploring art from the North Ireland, delivering exhibitions to international audiences through its touring programme. The gallery has delivered numerous curated exhibitions to venues across the UK and Ireland, Europe, North America, China and more recently Taiwan.

In recent years the Golden Thread Gallery has been working with a number of artists living and working in Northern Ireland to create a “not-for-profit” form of artists’ representation and has championed their work at national and international art fairs, such as the London Art Fair, Berliner Liste and Scope New York as well as establishing a dedicated in-house sales room. For further information visit our website – www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk , join us on Facebook or call us on ++44(0) 2890 330920

The Golden Thread Gallery is a registered charity and admission is free.

Gallery tours available.
Open
Tuesday – Friday 10.30am – 5.30 pm
Saturday – 10.30am – 4pm

Gallery Director: Peter Richards

84-94 Great Patrick Street,
Belfast,
BT1 2LU

T: (028) 9033 0920
W: www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk
E: info@gtgallery.co.uk

As Cherry Smyth, poet and art critic writes in the foreword in the book

“ This is a skilful, resonant documentation of a woman’s determination to humanise and feminise the dehumanising and defeminising experience of having a hysterectomy. It is a stunning, affecting, unforgettable piece of work that deserves to be seen widely not just by girls and women, but by men who care for them and also came from that intimate source.”

In Whitefield’s brave and bold series, she follows in the venerable and vulnerable footsteps of artists like Jo Spence, Helen Chadwick and Hannah Wilke, who chartered their bodies’ visceral experiences through photographs. Using the form of a visual diary, she leads us ( and herself ) through the tentative steps of the admission to hospital, the pre-op prep and the results.

She photographs and uses angles that reflect an Alice in Wonderland type of adventure, reinforcing feelings of detachment and otherworldliness contrasted with the stark sterility and brutality of the clinical imagery and surroundings.

Linking hysteria, Hippocrates, poetry and the art of photography, she explores the ordinary and extraordinary worlds of this emotional, mental and physical body experience resulting in a rich photographic exhibition and poetic book that blends fairytale with reality in an original and powerful way.

Sonya Whitefield ( b.Moy 1964 ) is a photographer/artist based in Co.Tyrone Northern Ireland. She studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. She is currently working for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Sonya Whitefield mingles raw imagery and ethereal poetry with an unshrinking honesty to reveal the ordinary and extraordinary worlds of this emotional, mental and physical body experience in her exhibition Journey of the Hysterectic Woman.

Her photography is renowned for making us think about challenging life situations, making us question conventional perception and connecting us to the surreal in ordinary and everyday life. With this work, Whitefield creates a visual diary, capturing feelings of detachment and otherworldliness, which reflects the stark sterility of the clinical situation and surroundings. Whitefield’s request for the return of her womb is reverentially dealt with in the final surprising sequence of images.

Cherry Smyth, poet and art critic said, “This is a skilful, resonant documentation of a woman’s determination to humanise and feminise the experience of having a hysterectomy. It is a stunning, affecting, unforgettable piece of work that deserves to be seen widely not just by girls and women, but by men who care for them and also came from that intimate source.”

Whitefield said, “A hysterectomy is a traumatic, invasive and all too often unspoken journey. Using photography I took control over my own experience, capturing images of my medical and spiritual journey. I used my art as a tool for personal transformation and recovery during a process that can be damaging to both the female body and psyche. I hope the work will help other women share experiences of this life-changing operation and stimulate much needed conversations around the subject.”

Whitefield has created a stunning, limited edition, art book, ‘Hysterectic’, to accompany the exhibition. In an original and powerful way it blends stark and beautiful photographs with elements of hysteria, Hippocrates and poetry.

Journey of the Hysterectic Woman and ‘Hysterectic’ is officially launched by award winning, Northern Irish poet, Maria Mc Manus on the 4th March, 6pm – 7pm at The Golden Thread Gallery. The exhibition runs from 25th February until 18th March 2010.
ends

Note(s) to Editor:
For further information, interview or images contact Aly Jones on +44(0) 7904312899 or email alyson@inbox.com

Sonya Whitefield, née Cromie, born Moy 1964, is an artist based in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
She studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally.
Whitefield currently works for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. www.sonyawhitefield.com

The Golden Thread Gallery 84 – 94 Great Patrick Street, Belfast. BT1 2LU. tel.++44(0)28 9033 0920 e. info@gtgallery.co.uk

alyson mcelroy jones

+44(0) 7904312899
alyson@inbox.com